Section: Non-League

Weymouth secured their first victory on the road in two-and-a-half months with a much-needed three points at struggling Arlesey Town.

Stewart Yetton’s 55th minute strike proved the difference between the two sides, as a change of system paid dividends for player-manager Jason Matthews, who managed his first league contest from the sidelines.

Struggling with injury but naming himself among the substitutes, the Terras’ boss shuffled his pack intensely from the side that fell apart at Frome in midweek.

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A screamer from winger Alec Fiddes proved enough to seal a dramatic Weymouth comeback, and in-turn knock defending champions Poole Town out of the Dorset Senior Cup.

The Terras made a total of six changes from their 7-2 reverse at Chesham on Saturday, as they pitted their wits against a strong Dolphins’ line-up.

And it was the visitors who opened the scoring in what was a real sense of déjà vu from when the sides met last month, with 11 minutes on the clock.

After Luke Burbidge was felled in the area by Jordan Copp, Steve Devlin – as he did at Tatnam in the teams’ previous league encounter – calmly slotted the ball past Weymouth boss Jason Matthews to draw first blood for the Dolphins.

The home side then tried to respond as winger Chris Shephard caused problems down the right flank. His shot was deflected, and with nobody around him, skipper for the evening Chris McPhee’s tame effort fell straight into the hands of goalkeeper Nick Hutchings.

But Matthews’ men did eventually get their reward when new recruit Dean Evans tried his luck from distance. He caught Hutchings flapping in the visitors’ goal, and there was nothing the Poole gloveman could do to prevent Weymouth levelling things up after 27 minutes.

Luke Roberts’ then showed quick feet for the Dolphins inside the Weymouth area following the break, but after creating half a yard for himself, he couldn’t find the target as Poole put the pressure on.

And on 78 minutes, it was former Terra Burbidge who came back to haunt his previous employers. He spun and rifled a strike into the corner.

The Dolphins were then reduced to 10 men when Marvin Brooks was given a straight red card for what was deemed a reckless challenge on Callum Laird, and late in added time, Weymouth managed to make their numerical advantage count.

With men streaming forward, it was McPhee who touched home a drilled ball in from Copp to make it 2-2 and set up extra-time.

Weymouth hit back with a vital victory over Cirencester

Goals from Chris McPhee and George Rigg gave Weymouth their first win in four league outings, in a closely-contested battle at the Bob Lucas Stadium.

The duo both found the net inside the final 15 minutes as Jason Matthews’ side came alive late on to shake the Centurions.

The Terras’ boss, who admitted the past week had been a test of his mental strength in the build-up, made two changes to his starting XI that was brushed aside at Corby on Wednesday night.

Rigg and Jamie Laird were recalled to the line-up, with Ashley Wells and Steve Colwell both making way.

In a cagey opening, the Centurions did have the ball in the net early as Matt Liddiard stroked home on the turn, but referee Iain Parsons had blown for a Weymouth free-kick long before he put the ball away.

On his return to the side, it was Rigg who came close to making an impact for the hosts with their first opportunity.

He gathered a loose ball and let fly from all of 25 yards to force a diving save from Cirencester gloveman Glyn Garner.

At the other end, some panic in the Weymouth defence began to creep in.

Operating at right-back, Calvin Brooks had drifted inside to deal with a ball forward and almost flicked his clearance into his own net. Weymouth then nervously dealt with a number of set-pieces from the Centurions.

A low corner from Rigg was then drilled into the path of Yetton, who blazed over, and Brooks saw his ball across goal stabbed away after advancing into the Cirencester area.

Brooks was then needed defensively and did well to keep up with the lively Jacob Davidge as the away side broke down the left.

He forced a comfortable save from Weymouth player-manager Matthews, who got down well to his left to keep hold of the strike.

The Centurions started the second half the brighter of the two teams and, after claims for a handball in the hosts’ box, midfielder James Mortimer-Jones rifled a fizzing attempt at goal, which clattered into the advertising boards.

That came as part of a spell of dominance from visitors after the break and skipper Yetton retreated into the midfield to voice his frustration.

Chris Shephard then showed great technique in what was a lively moment for Matthews’ men.

He sweetly volleyed at goal and was denied by a superb reflex stop, and from the resulting corner, Yetton hit the ball marginally over.

New signing Dean Evans was then handed his debut just past the hour mark, as McPhee was thrust into a more advanced role.

Yetton must have then thought he had scored when his shot at the back-post from a looping cross was well saved by Garner, and McPhee and Adam Kelly saw their attempts on the follow up stabbed off the line.

But as the Terras continued to probe, McPhee didn’t have to wait too much longer to break the deadlock.

On 76 minutes, he brought down a long ball with a sublime touch, took the ball past the goalkeeper and tapped home into an empty net, much to the delight of the Terras’ faithful behind the goal.

A long ball at the other end then caught the hosts napping, but Cirencester full-back Ellis Dunton failed to sort his feet out and scuffed wide in search of a leveller.

Moments later, Dunton left a leg out inside the area and caught Shephard, who had cut inside on the right wing. Referee Parsons had no hesitation in pointing to the spot but up stepped McPhee to blaze the ball into the stand and squander a chance to put the game to bed.

But as the Centurions pushed forward in search of a point, a slick breakway move wrapped the win up for Matthews’ men.

Introduced in place of Yetton with five minutes to go, Alec Fiddes charged down the left on the counter and picked out Rigg, who finished clinically to seal the game in stoppage time.

Weymouth claimed a share of the spoils with Redditch United having played the final 20 minutes with just 10 men at the Bob Lucas Stadium.

A red card for Ashley Wells came in between Jamie Reid’s cool opener and a sublime strike from Reds’ full-back Calum Ferguson, which found the top corner on 75 minutes to give the visitors a point.

Having added to his squad earlier in the day by confirming the loan signing of Robbie Matthews from Gosport Borough, Weymouth manager Jason Matthews placed his new recruit straight into the starting line up, as one of three changes from the side that lost at Poole Town a week previously.

Alec Fiddes and Reid also returned to the side and Connor Riley-Lowe, Steve Colwell and Adam Kelly all dropped to the bench.

And it was Exeter City loanee Reid, on what could be his final game for the club, who almost broke the deadlock after just three minutes on the counter attack.

Following a corner for the visitors, he powered down the right to gather Chris Shephard’s precise through ball, and worked Reds’ stopper Sam Hornby with a stinging effort at his near post.

The visitors then almost mirrored the Terras’ opening chance when Simeon Maye failed to gather on the break, and Weymouth captain Stewart Yetton swept the ball just wide of the far post after Reid and Shephard combined neatly once more.

As the hosts continued to probe, Yetton, still sporting his protective headwear, jinked away from three men and fired into the stands. George Rigg then volleyed wide after Shephard had drawn Hornby out of position.

Chris McPhee’s diving header was then gathered from a well-delivered cross from Wells, and Terras’ boss Matthews found himself at full stretch to make his first save of the encounter.

His rasping attempt across goal was palmed away by Weymouth keeper Matthews, who flew to his right to thwart the effort. James Mutton then headed over from the resulting corner.

Yetton was then fouled which allowed Shephard to deliver a free-kick from deep, which just evaded Robbie Matthews at the back post in search of a goal on his debut.

Following the break, Calvin Brooks must have thought he had put the Terras a goal up.

He arrived at the back post to meet a devilish ball from Reid from the right flank, and saw his header kept out by Hornby, who stuck out a mitt at the last moment to pull off a sublime reaction save.

A teasing cross from Redditch’s Phillips almost caught manager Matthews off guard as he scrambled to his back post with the sun in his eyes and saw the ball drift wide, with Reds’ frontman Courtney Baker-Richardson throwing himself into the Terras’ net in an attempt to put the ball home.

The visitors started to look dangerous at this point and arguably should have drawn first blood through Calvin Dinsley.

He failed to take his chance from the edge of the box after the away side dispossessed Shephard and beat the offside trap.

But as Weymouth had started living dangerously, they showed their character, and took the lead on 67 minutes.

Some slick work down the right hand side between Shephard and defender Wells opened up the visitors, and it was Reid who was on hand to put the ball home with a neat finish on the turn from close range.

But, out of nowhere, Wells was given his marching orders three minutes later.

He was adjudged by match official David Goard to have recklessly challenged George Carline, much to the disgust of the home fans.

A man light, proceedings then got worse for the Terras, as Redditch notched a stunning equaliser.

After Jason Matthews had punched a high ball into his area, there was nothing he could do as full-back Flanagan pulled the trigger and bent the ball into the top corner of the net to make it 1-1.

With Weymouth rattled by the leveller, Dinsley tried his luck once again, and his dipping strike fell just over the top.

But despite being a man down for the final exchanges, Weymouth held on to claim a share of the spoils, with Wells being awarded the sponsor’s man of the match accolade.

Matt Liddiard’s first-half header dented Dorchester Town’s hopes of winning a third league game in succession at the Avenue.

Dorchester player-manager Mark Jermyn had the luxury of being able to name the same starting line-up for a third game running.

And the Magpies also kept faith with the formation that had brought them wins over Hungerford and Arlesey.

That meant Nathan Walker played up top with Ben Watson and Dan Smith, while Jermyn, skipper Jake Smeeton and Chris Dillon, the supporters’ club player of the month for January, were the three at the back.

However, the hosts were forced into a change just seven minutes in when Sam Lanahan had to be replaced by Matt Oldring.

Clear-cut chances in the early stages were hard to come by, the Centurions fizzed a few efforts over Alan Walker-Harris’ crossbar, while opposite number Glyn Garner comfortably dealt with a couple of tame attempts at goal from Dorchester.

Nat Jarvis, the man who had scored four against the Magpies when the sides met earlier in the season, had a quiet start this time around.

The encounter was some 21 minutes old when he had his first real opportunity to score, though he will have been relieved to see the linesman’s flag go up for offside when he missed from no more than five yards.

There wasn’t a lot to separate the teams in the first half an hour, but that didn’t matter to Cirencester when they took the lead in the 33rd minute.

A corner was floated deep to the far post, Ellis Dunton headed back across goal and Liddiard had to simplest of tasks to nod in from a yard out.

Back came Dorchester and five minutes later Walker went close to equalising.

A long ball down the middle was latched on to by Watson, his effort was blocked by the onrushing Garner, and Walker fired the just wide with the visiting keeper stranded.

Playing with the breeze in the second half, Dorchester’s quest for a leveller began with Jermyn blasting a shot over the bar and Lewis Morgan badly miscuing an effort from 10 yards.

He wasn’t helped by an Avenue pitch that caused problems for both sets of players all afternoon.

Portsmouth loanee Bradley Tarbuck almost made it 1-1 in the 61st minute.

After playing a give and go with Watson, Tarbuck let fly from just outside the area and would have scored had Garner not produced an excellent fingertip save.

Tarbuck was in the thick of it again soon after, but when Garner came out of his goal to clear from Watson the youngster couldn’t find the empty net.

Dorchester made their second substitution with a quarter of the match left, though the first thing Ryan Murray did after replacing the disappointing Smith was to pick up a caution.

The Centurions should really have wrapped things up 11 minutes from the end.

Ed Williams cut inside from the left and went past a couple of Magpies’ defenders, but he ultimately took too long to shot.

When he did his effort was blocked by Smeeton and Walker-Harris pounced on the loose ball.

The inevitable late surge came from the home side and they could have snatched a draw if it wasn’t for a brave piece of goalkeeping from Garner.

Walker headed down a Tarbuck cross to Morgan but the midfielder was denied by Garner at point-blank range.

However, the drama wasn’t over.

Deep into stoppage time, Garner completely misjudged a Smeeton free-kick and appeared to take out Oldring.

The ball fell to Jermyn and when he went down under a challenge all of the home fans expected the referee to point to the penalty spot.

They thought he had awarded the Magpies a penalty seconds later, but the official gave a goal-kick instead.

Some pushing and shoving ensued and both Oldring and Cirencester’s Herring were booked for their involvement in the fracas.

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Weymouth hit for four by the Dolphins

Weymouth’s title hopes were dealt a monumental blow as hosts Poole Town ran riot in the second half at Tatnam, to return to the league summit and leapfrog their Dorset rivals.

Steve Devlin set the ball rolling for the Dolphins from the penalty spot just past the hour mark, and they added three more to their tally with a Richard Gillespie brace coming either side of Luke Burbidge finding the net against his former employers.

Weymouth boss Jason Matthews made two changes from the team that overcame Chesham at the Bob Lucas Stadium in midweek, with George Rigg and Ashley Wells coming back into the side.

Wells’ inclusion meant that Sam Poole dropped to the bench and Calvin Brooks slotted back in at centre-half. Jamie Reid was also left out of the XI.

In a swift start for the visitors, Adam Kelly fired the first warning shot.

The former Dolphins’ man, a league title winner at Tatnam, cut inside and drilled the ball just wide of the post with Poole keeper Nick Hutchings diving to his right.

A frantic start saw both sides struggling to keep possession, and there was certainly no brotherly love between the Brooks family early on.

As Poole’s Marvin pounced on a loose ball and surged forward, Terras’ defender Calvin cleaned his brother out, much to the disgust of his sibling.

Former Dorchester Town midfielder Devlin then spotted Matthews off his line and attempted an audacious lob from a free-kick which the Terras’ boss comfortably gathered.

The Dolphins then, quite frankly, should have drawn first blood.

Devlin’s corner was flicked to the back post, and from around three yards out, unopposed, Quigley fluffed his lines and somehow nodded the ball wide at the back post, much to the delight of the travelling fans behind the goal.

The Cherries’ youngster then tormented the Weymouth defence on the left flank, as he moved inside the box and flashed just wide.

And a rare opportunity for the away side then came along just short of the interval.

After ex-Terra Michael Walker fouled Weymouth skipper Stewart Yetton on the edge of the area, Chris Shephard lined up a free-kick from a dangerous area, but his effort was all too easy for stopper Hutchings.

Moments after the break, Weymouth were given a further let-off.

Failing to deal with another Devlin corner, the Dolphins must have thought they had broken the deadlock when the ball was turned goalwards from close range during a melee inside the area, but a covering Weymouth defender on the post cleared off the line.

Poole skipper Jamie Whisken then drilled the ball just wide of the mark as Weymouth found themselves on the ropes.

The home side, sensing an opportunity, then got their opener.

As Burbidge’s cross from the right fell to the back post, Ashley Wells was adjudged by match official Daniel Leach to have felled Portsmouth loanee Ben Close inside the area, and pointed directly to the spot.

Up stepped Devlin, who made no mistake in making it 1-0 to the Dolphins on 62 minutes.

And as Weymouth looked to respond, the hosts nearly doubled their lead on the counter through Burbidge.

The wide man steamed forward after Walker headed clear to set up the break, and Matthews was quickly off his line to thwart his former team-mate.

Controversy then struck when Kelly went down in the Poole area with two men breathing down his neck, but despite clear protests from the visitors, the match official had no interest in awarding the spot-kick.

Alec Fiddes and Reid were then introduced as Weymouth searched for a leveller, and they almost got it when Kelly volleyed just past a post.

But an inspired substitution from Dolphins’ boss Tom Killick put the game beyond doubt with around 15 minutes left.

As Poole won a corner, veteran marksman Gillespie replaced Lewis Lindsay, and with his first touch, he popped up to nudge the ball home from close range.

Burbidge, who was superb throughout the afternoon, then broke clear four minutes from time and there was nothing Matthews could do on this occasion, as the winger drilled the ball into the far corner and wheeled away in celebration.

And to rub salt into the Terras’ wounds, Gillespie was in the right place once more to add a fourth late on and condemn Weymouth to a crushing defeat.

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Dorchester Town side secured back-to-back wins for the first time under new boss Mark Jermyn, as a Nathan Walker brace helped see off Arlesey at the Avenue.

Ben Watson also found the net for the Magpies in a match the hosts knew they could not afford to lose in their battle to stay in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division.

Player-manager Jermyn kept faith with the side that started the win at Hungerford on the weekend, with the only change to the squad coming on the bench where Kieron Parrett replaced Oakley Hanger.

The hosts began the game on the front foot and nearly went ahead four minutes in when Watson rounded Arlesey keeper Nick Thompson and struck a post from a very acute angle.

Walker then glanced a header just wide from a long Chris Dillon throw, before Bradley Tar-buck went close with a left-foot drive. And, after Thompson got down low to deal with a Jake Smeeton free-kick, Dorchester’s bright start was rewarded on 13 minutes.

Sam Lanahan slid a precise through ball into the path of Watson and the striker produced an assured finish to score past Thompson.

The hosts were given a scare five minutes later when Hallelujah Basmel’s shot deflected off Walker and on to an up-right before being cleared.

But it could well have been 2-0 to the county town side had Thompson not saved from Watson following a surge downfield by Portsmouth loanee Tarbuck, who was making his home debut for the Magpies.

Other than Basmel hitting the woodwork and Martel Powell forcing a decent save from Alan Walker-Harris, the visitors had little to offer in the first half.

Jermyn and his men would have probably felt hard done by if they had gone into the interval only one goal to the good – but that wasn’t what happened.

A Tarbuck cut back found Walker in space inside the Arlesey box, and after his first attempt was blocked, the defender-turned-forward buried the rebound.

The only negative to come out of the first period for the hosts was Lewis Morgan’s booking following a rash challenge on Powell.

Like the first half, the Magpies started the second 45 minutes by hitting the woodwork.

This time it was Tarbuck who shrugged off his marker and whipped in a shot that caught the far post.

Dan Smith’s presence on the right wing became more noticeable as the game went on and his cross over the onrushing Thompson was almost turned into his own net by Warren Plowright.

A third goal would have really made the game safe for the home side and it duly arrived on the hour, Walker climbing highest to nod in Smith’s corner.

There was very little to get excited about during the next 20 minutes, then Arlesey were given a lifeline with seven minutes left.

George Ironton scored from the spot after substitute Leon Lobjoit had been brought down in the Magpies’ box.

A few nervy moments for the home side followed but there was to be no dramatic comeback by the visitors.

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Weymouth climbed to the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division summit once again after they were made to battle for three points against Chesham United at the Bob Lucas Stadium.

Goals from Adam Kelly and skipper Stewart Yetton in the first half ensured Jason Matthews’ men leapfrogged Poole Town to hit the top spot, and record back-to-back league wins before they meet the Dolphins at Tatnam on Saturday.

With an unchanged starting XI, the home side struggled to settle early on, as Chesham had two good opportunities to open the scoring.

A cross from the right flank was not dealt with by the Terras, and bustling frontman Simon Thomas worked Matthews at his near post from close range.

A mistake from Terras’ defender Jamie Laird then left his goalkeeper stranded on the edge of the area, and the angles opened up for Chesham’s Luke Allen, who failed to find the target with the goal gaping from 30 yards out.

Weymouth then went close with their first chance, as Chris Shephard forced a corner from Jamie Reid’s flick inside the box, from which Calvin Brooks lifted the ball over the top of the bar.

Kelly then started a slick move down the right as he fed Reid, who made a clever run to beat the offside trap.

He then cut the ball back into the path of Chris McPhee, who put his head in his hands as he sliced the ball wide of the mark from 10 yards out, knowing he should have scored.

But the Terras only had to wait a further minute to take the lead.

A weak header back to his goalkeeper by Chesham winger Ryan Towner allowed Kelly, who gambled on the opportunity, the chance to nip in and lift the ball over Shane Gore in the Generals’ goal to make it 1-0.

And after Tom McConway worked Terras’ boss Matthews, captain Yetton, still sporting his protective headwear, doubled the home side’s lead on 28 minutes.

He nodded home after being neatly picked out by Shephard’s clipped ball into the area.

McConway hit a shot on the turn which failed to find the target, as Chesham penned Wey-mouth in for the opening few minutes after the interval.

Kelly was then cautioned for a late challenge, and Reid’s deft chip did not quite have enough on it to pose a problem for Gore, after the Weymouth frontman outmuscled his defender on the edge of the area to break clear.

But the Generals pulled one back when striker Ryan Blake was allowed the room to shift the ball on to his right foot and drill past Matthews, who was livid at his defenders for not shutting the danger down.

Exeter loanees Connor Riley-Lowe and Reid then combined for the hosts, as the former stood the ball up at the back post for his Grecians’ team-mate. Reid then flicked the ball into the path of McPhee, who headed straight at goalkeeper Gore from inside the six-yard box.

And with just under 10 minutes to go, Chesham’s Blake came close to earning his side a point.

He outpaced three Weymouth defenders as Sam Poole was caught out of position, and clean through on goal, the striker fluffed his lines.

And nervously, with a huge shout for handball from the Generals in the final moments turned down, the Terras held on to record their 12th home victory of the season.